Departure is imminent

As i'm sitting here writing this, looking out our back door and into the yard where a mixture of freezing rain and snow congregate, I can't help but smile and think back to the every time I've been sitting at my desk at work day dreaming of some grand adventure. There's gear, clothing and bike splayed out every which way in the house, and slowly but surely it is getting carefully packed away into some tote or bag for loading into the van. Although I left work at the end of March it still hasn't sunk in that there's no deadline to return to work, that the next year or more is totally at our discrimination. In some ways it's an ominous task, where do we go? What do we plan to see? After all, it's not a lifetime so there has to be some things that we see and some that we don't. Believe me, I use the word ominous in a good way.

 

Blech



Thanks to friends, family and acquaintances we have enough ideas and travel plans to keep us booked through 2027. The goal isn't to cram in as much as possible, as one might do on a week off in Yosemite National Park. We don't want to just check things off a list, we want to immerse ourselves, if only temporary, into each place we visit. Theoretically we would just stay on the road indefinitely, but we have two dogs that I'm pretty sure we'll miss more than they'll miss us. Lucky for us my mother is super awesome and will take care of them just fine, and I'm doubtful they'll want to return home after 2 weeks at her house. So there is the "structure" of our time off if you will. Depart for 2 maybe 3 weeks at a time, van fully loaded with only the necessary (Jenny, are you listening?), and gallivanting about to some region as detailed as say the Appalachian Mountains, the Southwest or the Rocky Mountains. We'll travel fully equipped to camp regardless of the area, and plan to mooch a couch or two along the way. There's really no set plan other than that, we've got some specific spots we'd like to check out, and some places we'd like to ride bikes but that's about it. When at all possible we plan to rendezvous with friends and visit anyone remotely nearby.

Gear on gear









That brings us to our first leg of the trip, the Appalachian Mountain region. Departure from Grand Rapids is this afternoon, we'll drive down to Nashville, IN to hang out with good friends and ride at Brown County State Park. Once the working folk make the journey back to home base we'll venture further south into Tennessee where we plan to put the road bikes to good use on some of the beautiful country and mountain roads in Smoky Mountain National Park. We'll once again be joined by friends the coming weekend to do some more epic rides. In between the riding there will surely be some tourist trap obligations, local culture indulgence and hikes through the many trails that the area has to offer. The second week will see us hoping over the ridge to North Carolina and exploring Pisgah National Forest, Dupont, Brevard, Asheville and other notable locales.

Looking forward to views like these



Keeping things fast and loose is the name of the game. Being able to motor on down the road to wherever our hearts (or stomachs) take us is modus operandi. Lose the schedule and gain the freedom. Too many years sitting at a desk, running to meetings, abiding and stressing over timelines has worn out it's welcome. Someday surely I'll return to such a life, but that's far off in the back of my mind. It's not easy to de-program yourself from that structured way of living. I think it will be some time before I can finally stop making checklist, chasing down an imaginary daily timeline in my head of tasks to complete. I look forward to molding my brain a different way, getting back to looking at the world as a playground and less as an obstacle course. If you're interested in following along keep an eye out on our Facebook pages, Instagram and here for more "formal" updates. We're looking forward to sharing the experience, and not just pictures and places, but the thinks and thoughts that go with them.

I don't even remember what this is